Book Review: The Barrister and the Letter of Marque

 

The Barrister and the Letter of Marque

by Todd M. Johnson

Pub Date 03 Aug 2021 

 Bethany House,  Bethany House Publishers

 Christian  |  Historical Fiction  |  Mystery & Thrillers 

I am reviewing a copy of The Barrister and the Letter of Marque through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:

William Snopes has witnessed firsthand the danger of only the wealthy having their voices heard, as a barrister and London and he's a strong advocate who defends the poorer classes against the powerful.  But that all changes the day a struggling heiress, Lady Madeleine Jameson, arrives at his door.

In a last minute effort to save her faltering estate, Lady Jameson invested in a merchant brig, the Padget. The ship was granted a rare privilege by the king's regent: a Letter of Marque authorizing the captain to seize the cargo of French traders operating illegally in the Indian Sea.   But when the Padget returns to London her crew is met by soldiers ready to take possession of their goods and arrest the captain for piracy. And the Letter the sole proof his actions were legal has mysteriously vanished.

Snopes takes the case.,  Moved by the lady's distress, intrigued by the Letter, and goaded by an opposing solicitor, Snopes takes the case.  But as he digs into the mystery he learns that the forces arrayed against Lady Jameson, and now himself, are even more perilous than he'd imagined.

I give The Barrister and the Letter of the Marquee five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Bookseller of Florence

 

The Bookseller of Florence

The Story of the Manuscripts That Illuminated the Renaissance

by Ross King

Pub Date 13 Apr 2021 

 Grove Atlantic,  Atlantic Monthly Press

 History 

I am reviewing a copy of The Bookseller of Florence through Grove Atlantic, Atlantic Monthly Press and Netgalley:

When we think of the Renaissance in Florence conjures images of beautiful frescoes and elegant buildings the dazzling handiwork of the city’s skilled artists and architects.   But just as important or the centuries to follow were geniuses of a different sort: Florence’s manuscript hunters, scribes, scholars, and booksellers, who blew the dust off a thousand years of history and, through the discovery and diffusion of ancient knowledge, imagined a new and enlightened world.

At the heart of this activity, which bestselling author Ross King relates in his exhilarating new book, was a remarkable man: Vespasiano da Bisticci. Born in 1422, he became what a friend called “the king of the world’s booksellers.”   At a time when books were all made by hand 

Vespasiano reached the summit of his powers as Europe’s most prolific merchant of knowledge when a new invention appeared: the printed book.  By 1480 the king of the world’s booksellers was swept away by this epic technological disruption, whereby cheaply produced books reached readers who never could have afforded one of Vespasiano’s elegant manuscripts.

If you are interested in the Renaissance in Florence, as well as Europe’s most prolific bookseller creating thousands of books, at a time when they were all created by the hand.

I give The Bookseller of Florence five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: To Write A Wrong

 

To Write A Wrong

by Jen Turano

Pub Date 03 Aug 2021 

 Bethany House,  Bethany House Publishers

 Christian  |  Historical Fiction  |  Romance 

I am reviewing a copy of To Write A Wrong from Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:

Miss Daphne Beekman is a mystery writer by day, inquiry agent by night. Known for her ability to puzzle out plots, she prefers working behind the scenes for the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency, but usually stays well away from danger.  But soon Daphne finds herself in the thick of an attempted murder case she's determined to solve.

Herman Henderson is also a Mystery Writer, but unlike the dashing heroes he pens, he lives a quiet life, determined to avoid the fate of his adventurous parents, who perished on an expedition when he was a child.  After he experiences numerous attempts on his life, he seeks out the services of the eccentric Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency to uncover the culprit. All too soon, Herman finds himself stepping out of the safe haven of his world and into an adventure he never imagined.

As the list of suspects grows and sinister plots are directed Daphne's way as well, Herman and Daphne must determine who they can trust and if they can risk the greatest adventure of all: love.

If you’re looking for a fun, romantic, suspenseful read, I highly recommend To Write A Wrong.

I give To Write A Wrong five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Who Cares

 

Who Cares?

A Guided Self-Help & Devotional Journal for the Seasons of Life

by Melita J. Murray-Carney, Ph.D.

Pub Date 29 Aug 2021 | Archive Date 28 Aug 2021

 BooksGoSocial

  Christian  |  Self-Help

I am reviewing a copy of Who Cares: A Guided Self Help & Devotional Journal for the Seasons of Life through BooksGoSocial and Netgalley:

In Who Cares we are reminded that journaling is a powerful and valuable tool for promoting and enhancing mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wellness.   

This book provides us with guided prompts for everything from starting something new, whether it be a new chapter in our life, or something smaller, and it reminds us to break what we are experiencing down into smaller goals.   We are reminded too the importance to take the time to think through the problems we might face with this new challenge.

We are reminded too of the importance making choices that will help us to reach our goals. 

We are reminded too the importance of writing down who or what is preventing us from being our authentic self.

Included in this book are exercises too that encourage you to write about forgiveness and how it heals.   

I give Who Cares five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Message Not Found

 

Message Not Found

by Dante Medema

Pub Date 29 Mar 2022 

 HarperCollins Children's Books,  Quill Tree Books

 Children's Fiction  |  Mystery & Thrillers  |  Teens & YA 

I am reviewing a copy of Message Not Found through HarperCollins Children’s Books, Quill Tree Books and Netgalley:

Bailey and Vanessa shared everything from laughter and secrets as well as packets of Pop Rocks when they were trying to ward off bad days.  Sadly that all changed the night Vanessa left Bailey’s, headed for home, and ended up swerving off a cliff nowhere near her house.    

Bailey thought she knew Vanessa better than anyone else in the world, is left with a million unanswered questions, and the only person with answers is gone.

In order to help with her brief Bailey creates a chat bot of Vanessa using years’ worth of their shared text messages and emails.  The more data she uploads to the bot, the more age finds herself feeling as if she’s talking to her best friend.  But when the bot starts dropping hints that there was more going on with Vanessa than Bailey realized—a secret so big, it may have contributed to Vanessa’s death.

Will Bailey be able to find out what really led to Vanessa’s death?

I give Message Not Found five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: May

 

May

An epic poem about youth

by Herman Gorter

Pub Date 26 May 2021 | Archive Date 31 Jan 2022

 Arimei Books 

 Poetry 

I am reviewing a copy of May through Arimei Books and Netgalley:

In May the magical journey of adolescence is explained against the background of Holland's flowery dunescapes.  Adolescence is explained in strokes wonder-filled impressions a stunningly unspoiled girl.  May not only explores the promise of springtime and the intense spiritual life of youth.  The cycle of life always moves on, and as May matures and returns to earth, she finds it readying for summer.

May (Mei) was originally published Mei (May) in 1889, this spontaneous and vibrant epic poem was immediately recognized by his peers as a landmark work for Dutch literature.   May is inspired in part by John Keats' Endymion (1818), the poem touches upon a wide range of themes, including the innocence and wonder of childhood, the hubris and disillusionment of adolescence, unattainable divine love and the inevitability of transience. 

May is a beautiful story of youth, of springtime and so much more.

I give May, five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Blitz Bus

 

The Blitz Bus

by Glen Blackwell

Pub Date 07 Sep 2021 | Archive Date 20 Oct 2021

 BooksGoSocial

  Historical Fiction  |  Middle Grade

I am reviewing The Blitz Bus through BooksGoSocial and Netgalley:

 When Jack and Emmie  were transported back to 1940 London they find a world that is both familiar and very different.  They find themselves dodging falling bombs and over zealous policemen, they befriend Jan, a lonely Polish refugee.

Together the group finds themselves having to find out if the shadowy figure that is following them is a spy, and unlock the mystery of how they will get home again.

The Blitz Bus,  would be a great read for Elementary/Primary School boys or girls who like adventures.

I give The Blitz Bus five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Born in Lockdown

 

Born in Lockdown

by Tolu' A. Akinyemi

Pub Date 08 Sep 2021 | Archive Date 15 Aug 2021

 BooksGoSocial

 Poetry

I am reviewing a copy of Born in Lockdown through BooksGoSocial and Netgalley:

Through poetry, poets have always had the capability to travel inward, an ability to create something out of the chaos of their inner world.

This is why poetry is said to be so cathartic, because through it the poet is able to ease himself of his burdens.  

Poetry  is also a tool for reflection. Oh, poetry cannot be stuffed into a single purpose for it is the expression of human emotions in line and verse, in styles and forms, rhymes and metres. And so, it acts has a way for the poet to transmit what he sees, thinks and feels in his inner world, those abstractions, into something tangible.

When stuck at home in the loud silence afflicted by a world wide lockdown where does the poet turn to? What does he turn to? His inner world?

In Born in Lockdown Tolu’ Akinyemi has birthed a collection of poetry through the pain, the traverse.

The collection begins with a declaration of the poet’s utter despair.  And with each you come across poems that are either personal or reflective, or poems that are querying in tone. On how the pandemic disrupts intimacy.

Born in Lockdown is a collection of poetry that is beautiful in it’s simplicity and powerful in its meaning.

I give Born in a Lockdown, five out of five stars…

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Good Girls Don’t Make History

 

Good Girls Don't Make History

by Elizabeth Kiehner; Kara Coyle

Quarto Publishing Group – Wide Eyed Editions 

Wide Eyed Editions

 Teens & YA 

Pub Date 31 Aug 2021

I am reviewing a copy of Good Girls Don’t Make History through Quarto Publishing Group and Netgalley:

This beautifully illustrated and written graphic history of The Women’s Suffrage movement and beyond would be a great way to introduce Junior High and High School students a look into how women In America had to fight for equality and continue to do so.

The books spans from 1840 to present day,  and amplifies the voice of female legends.

The tale begins at a modern-day polling station in California with a mother and daughter voting together, then flashes back 180 years to the World Anti-Slavery Convention where the women's movement got its legendary start.

This book allows the reader to relive moments from the lives of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth, Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells, and Susan B. Anthony, these inspiring stories are boldly told from one of the most formative eras in women’s history—the fight for the vote in the United States.

The story and it’s twists and turns take readers across the country and through time, illuminating parallels between epic battles for liberty in the past and similar struggles for justice today.

I give Good Girl’s Don’t Make History five out of five stars!

Happy Reading…

Book Review: I Am Not A Troublemaker

 

I am Not a Troublemaker

by Tolu' A. Akinyemi

BooksGoSocial

Children's Fiction

Pub Date 31 May 2021

I am reviewing a copy of I Am Not A Troublemaker through BooksGoSocial and Netgalley:

After going to a new school, Chadwick gains the label of being a trouble maker.  Being given the blame even when he is not the one starting the issues.

He can only hope the label does not stick, and that he is able to come clean.

I found the illustrations in this book were beautifully done, and the concept was a good one, but the story just seemed to lack, some elements, it moved far to quickly, without much emphasis on how the conflict was resolved.

I give I Am Not A Troublemaker three out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Yaphe

 

The Yaphe: The Beautiful People

Ruthie Madison

Amazon Services LLC

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B099SFBZ24

Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 19, 2021

I was given an advanced reader copy of The Yaphe with no expectation of review positive or otherwise, but I must say that I am rather impressed with this book and concept.  I’ve had the pleasure of reading Ruthie’s other books as well, and I’ve seen her grow as a writer/author, Yaphe in my opinion is her most impressive book to date.  The characters and emotions came alive on the page, and the concept  is a unique one.

Serene Thompson is sixteen and tired of living a sheltered life with her family, she is ready to gain her independence.  She wants a normal future, one that includes college, friends, a regular job, and a place of her own.

Unfortunately that future seems just out of reach, due to Serene’s overprotective parents, whose whole life revolves around her sister, Faith, and her troubling dreams.   Whenever Faith has a nightmare Serene’s mother becomes more agitated.  Whenever Faith has a dream about a people called The Yaphe her family packs up and moves again.

Who are these people called The Yaphe?  Why is their Mother so afraid of them? And what mysterious secret is she keeping?

When she meets Jacob Dresden, a young man who promises to help her find her courage, and the future she wants.  Serene trusts him, but something about his striking appearance is troublingly familiar.

When Jacob begins to raise questions about her mother’s motives for their strange life, Serene finds herself becoming deeply uneasy.  Is he who he claims to be? By accepting his help, has she walked into a trap, and put herself and Faith in danger?

If you’re looking for an intriguing, excellent and unique read, I highly recommend The Yaphe!

I give The Yaphe: The Beautiful People five out of five stars…

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Dream, Annie, Dream

 

Dream, Annie, Dream

by Waka T. Brown

HarperCollins Children's Books 

Quill Tree Books

 Children's Fiction  |  Middle Grade  |  Multicultural Interest 

Pub Date 25 Jan 2022

I am reviewing a copy of Dream, Annie, Dream through HarperCollins Children’s Books/Quill Tree Books and Netgalley:

Annie Inoue is the daughter of immigrants who came to America for a better life, she was raised to dream big.  And at the start of seventh grade, she’s channeling that irrepressible hope into becoming the lead in her school play.

When Annie lands an impressive role in the production of The King and I, she’s thrilled  that is until she starts to hear grumbles from her mostly white classmates that she only got the part because it’s an Asian play with Asian characters.   Is the fact that she’s Asian, all they see when they see her?  Is this the only kind of success they’ll let her have—one that they can tear down or use race to belittle?

Annie is disheartened, but she’s also determined.  She channels her hurt into a new dream,, showing everyone what’s she’s made of.

I give Dream, Annie, Dream, five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!